Combination package and dispenser



July 13, 1943. B NASH \COMBINATION PACKAGE AND DISPENSER Filed July l1, 1942 El l wcmofo BEN /VASH attenua/13 Patented July 13, 1943 COMBINATION PACKAGE AND DISPENSER Ben Nash, Short Hills, N. J., assignor to Rogers Imports Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 11, 1942, Serial No. 450,597

(Cl. G- 42) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to the packaging and dispensing of very small articles and more particularly to the eicient packaging and convenient dispensing of small cigarette lighter iiints.

Prior to the instant invention small articles such as lighter iiints have been packaged in conventional containers and the handling oi the small articles has been difficult. Lighter flints are so small that one must be very careful indeed to pick up a int from a mass oi flints with the fingers and without the use of an instrument. In an endeavor to pick up one iiint several flints may be picked up and some of them dropped and consequently lost. Some prior attempts have been made to package iiints in individual compartments in a multiple iiint container. Such previous packages have been awkward to handle and expensive to manufacture. Further, the dispensing of flints from prior packages one at a time has not been as convenient as is desired by the user.

It is an object of the instant invention to teach a novel combination package and dispenser for small articles such as lighter iiints.

It is a further object of the invention to teach the construction of the combination package and dispenser for small articles which will be convenient to hold in the hand of the user to operate so as to dispense one small article at a time without spilling the single article to be dispensed or other articles contained in the package.

Still another object of the instant invention is to teach the construction of a novel slidable combination package and dispenser for small articles which are to be conveniently dispensed one at a time which package will prevent the premature dispensing of the article to be dispensed and which is adapted to be accurately and conveniently controlled by the user.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the iollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a combination package and dispenser in accordance with the invention with the slidable member in neutral position and all the articles within the package securely housed;

Figure 2. is a plan view of the package dispenser shown in Figure l with the slidable element pushed to the left prior to dispensing of the rst article to be dispensed;

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2 with the slidable element pulled an additional distance to the left to place the first article to be dispensed in dispensing position.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View taken along line 4-.4 of Figure 3 and looking in the l direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, the generally rectangular slidable element I0 of relatively thick section as shown in Fig. 4 is formed with rounded portions II at diagonally opposed corners oi the element I0. These rounded corners II form convenient pushing portions adapted to be pushed by the thumb of the user. In Figure 2, for example, the slidable element I has been pushed `to the left by the action of the thumb of the user on the rounded corner I I at the right side of the `element I0.

The slidable element I0 is provided with a plurality of rectangular pockets I2 with the major axis of the rectangular pockets disposed at an angle of less than to the longitudinal axis of the slidable element I0. An angle of from approximately 45 to 51 is preferred. Each of the pockets I2 are adapted to house a small article such as a cigarette lighter ilint I3. Each of the cigarette lighter ilints is in the form of a kSmall cylinderf Coacting with the slidable element I0 and forming a cover for each of the pockets I2 is the generally iiat tubular body I4 within which the slidable element I is adapted to slide. The body I4 is preferably made of transparent material such as cellulose acetate or ethyl cellulose or other plastic or other suitable material such as glass or Celluloid, for example. It is contemplated that the body I4 may also be made of vinylite.

The slidable element I0 may be made of wood, cardboard, plastic or metal. The nts I3 or other similar small articles to be packaged and dispensed form no part of the instant invention and the nature of these articles is conventional.

While the body I4 has been disclosed in the drawing as a complete tube, it is contemplated that other sections differing from that shown in Figure 4 may be utilized with the provision, however, that the top side I5 of the body lli cover the pockets I2 and with the further provisi-on that a portion or portions of the body I4 cooperate with the element l0 so that the element I0 may slide with respect to the body Id and be secured thereto in a manner not aiecting the slidable relation described. For example, the bottom side I6 of the body I4 may be broken in order to conserve material or for other reasons.

The body portion I4 is provided with angled ends il generaliy parallel to the axis of the pockets I2.

In assembling and loading the combination package and dispenser, the small articles to be housed and dispensed such as the flints I3 are placed within the pockets I2 oi the slidable element Iii and then the element I0 is slid within the body I6 until it takes the neutral position shown in Figure 1. These loaded packages are convenient to stack and to hold individually in the users hand.

he package, as shown in Figure 1, is fool-proof from the point of view that jarring of same Will not cause premature dispensing of one of the small articles. ners I i is pushed to the position shown in Figure Z no dispensing can take place. For dispensing to take place it is necessary to pullon one of the exposed ends ci the slidable element I0. while holdingthe body I4 or moving the body I4 in the opposite direction.

When it is desired to dispense one of the small articles such as the lints I3, and the package isv in the position shown in Figure i1, the user pushes one of the rounded corners II so that the com bination package and dispenser is in the position shown in Fig. 2. Then the user may easily, accurately, conveniently and Without awkwardness pull the extended end of the element I to the position shown in Figure 3so that one of the articles to be dispensed is in dispensing position. Then the package is easily tilted so that the flint falls into the palm of the users hand.Y The sloping ends l'i or" the body I4 cooperate with the rounded exposed corners II of the element I to eiect this positive and convenient action- The sloping arrangement of the pockets I2 make it necessary to move the slidable element I0 a relatively long distance in an axial direction in order to effect dispensing. This makes for ready control on the part of the user when effecting dispensing of the small articles such as the iints I3.

VIt will be obvious to those'skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention vand therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawing and described in the speciication but only as indicated in the appended claims. l'

What is claimed is:

l. A relatively long, narrow, flat combination small article package and dispenser comprising a realtively long, narrow,v pocketed planular Even if one of the rounded cor- Y Kil) member having rounded portions at diagonally opposed corners, the pockets Within the planular member being generally rectangular in shape and having a major axis disposed at an angle less than 90 to the axis of said member, a relatively long narrow cover cooperating in slidable relation with respect to said member, the two remote ends .of said cover being formed at an angle generally'parallel to the axis of the pockets in said member, said member being longer than said cover, the two rounded portions of said member protruding from said cover when said member is disposed centrally of said cover, the first of said pockets in said member being so located therewithin that when one of the rounded corners is pushed againstone of said remote ends of said cover less than the major portion of said iirst pocket is exposed at the opposite end of said member.

2. The structure recited in claim 1, the major axis of said pockets being disposed at an angle of substantially l5a to the axis of said member.

3. The structure recited in claim 1, said cover being substantially tubular in section and transn parent.

4. The structure recited in claim 1, said element being fabricated of cardboard. i

5. A combination package and dispenser for cigarette lighter iiints comprising a cover and a slidable pocketed element adapted to cooperate with'said cover, the pockets in said slidable ele'- ment being long and narrow and arranged obliquely with respect to the major axis of said slidable element, said slidable element being longer than said cover, the slidable element being provided with rounded portions at diagonally opposed corners, the ends of said cover which are most remote from each other being formed at an angle generally corresponding to the angle of the axis of each of the pockets within said slidable member.

6. A flintcombination package and dispenser comprising a transparent cover and a pocketed slidable member, the first of said pockets in said member being so disposed in said member as to partially expose said rst pocket but prevent premature dispensing therefrom when said member is pushed in at one end thereof up to the corresponding end of said cover so as to require a-pull on the opposite exposed portion of said member to elTect dispensing of the first article from the rst pocket in said member.

BENNASH. 

